Coating pan assembly



Sept. 22, 1964 E. J. JUSTUS comm; PAN ASSEMBLY .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 26. 1962 FIG.I

INVENTOR. EDGAR J. JUSTUS AT TQR N EYS Sept. 22, 1964 E. J. JUSTUS comm; PAN ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1962 FIGB INVENTOR. EDGAR J JUSTUS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,150,002 COATING PAN ASSEMBLY Edgar J. Justus, Beioit, Wis, assignor to Beloit Iron Works, Beioit, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Jan. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 168,990 '7 Ciaims. (Ci. 118249) The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for coating a travelling web or the like and more particularly to an apparatus for supplying and applying a layer of coating to the surface of a travelling paper web.

One method of applying coating to the surface of a travelling paper web involves the use of a coating applicator roll wherein the web is supported on a backup roll, and the coating roll and backup roll form a coating nip, with coating on the coating roll surface being applied to the outer surface of the web. Coating is placed on the coating roll by various means, and the present arrangement relates to an arrangement having a coating pan wherein the lower portion of the coating roll runs submerged beneath the surface of a pool of coating in the pan. The layer of coating on the web may be further smoothed by a doctor blade or the coating may be left as applied by the applicator roll and dried and possibly later further treated by calender rolls or rolls which improve the surface of the coating.

In the application of liquid coating the pool of coating in the supply pan must be substantially free of inconsistencies and foreign elements and therefore must be cleaned from time to time to remove particles of dried coating, and must be emptied at the end of a run or when coating is not applied. Also, upon the occurrence of a break in the travelling web or at the end of a run or upon chang ing the run the coating applicator roll must be moved out of its close running position to a rest position.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved coating assembly for applying coating to a travelling paper web wherein an improved combination of elements are provided for emptying and cleaning the coating pan and for moving the coating roll out of its coating close running position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simplified power device utilizing the effects of gravity for rapidly dropping the coating roll out of operating position and for separating parts of the coating pan for draining and cleaning and for exposing the coating roll for cleaning.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a simplified power mechanism which will also controllably support the coating applying roll in close running position and maintain the parts of the pan in sealed relationship to contain the pool of coating.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved coating applying assembly which meets the foregoing requirements and accommodates the convenient supply of fresh coating liquid.

Other objects, advantages and features will become more apparent with the teaching of the principles of the invention in connection with the disclosure of the preferred embodiments thereof in the specification, claims and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View shown in somewhat schematic form of a coating assembly with the elements in operating position;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic side elevational view showing the parts in drain position;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary top plan view taken substantially along line IIIIII of FIGURE 1 showing a portion of the coating supply conduits; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line IVIV of FIGURE 1, with parts in elevation.

As shown on the drawings:

As illustrated in FIGURES l and 4, a backup roll 10 carries a travelling web of paper W and coating is applied to the outer surface by a coating applicator roll 11 having a smooth cylindrical outer surface. The backup roll 10 and coating roll 11 form an applicator nip N and coating is carried upwardly on the outer surface of the coating roll 11 from a pool of coating at the base of a coating pan assembly 12.

The foregoing embodies the basic coating apparatus and may be employed as a station in a papermaking machine and being followed by drying and possibly polishing rolls, or may be employed in a converting machine wherein coating is applied to the surface of paper taken from rolls. In operation of the present mechanism the coating applicator roll 11 is maintained in the position shown in FIGURES 1 and 4 during operation so that this may be conveniently referred to as a coating or an operating position. Upon breakage of the web W or when coating is to be no longer applied, the coating roll 11 is dropped down to the rest position R of FIGURE 2. The pan is dropped down to the drain position D of FIGURE 2 for flushing out and cleaning the pan of coating and for cleaning the coating roll 11.

In further detail, the backup roll 16 is supported on a bearing 13 mounted on a frame 14.

The coating pan assembly 12 includes a pair of end plates or end walls 15 and 16 and a member 17 which provides the bottom and side walls for the pan assembly, and for convenience will be referred to as the coating pan 17. The pan 17 coacts with the end walls 15 and 16 to form a container for the pool of coating so that the lower edge of the coating roll can be submerged in the pool and pick up coating to carry it up against the paper web W.

The positions of the coating roll and pan assembly are guided by a pair of stands 18 and 19 at the front and rear of the coating machine. Since both ends of the coating machine are substantially the same, only the front end has been shown and will be described in detail, and parts have been omitted from the back end, which is shown at the left of FIGURE 4. As will be later appreciated, for a long coating roll 11 handling sheets of substantial width, operating mechanism on both ends of the machine will insure uniformity of nip pressure and aid in supporting the weight of the parts of the machine.

The end walls 15 and 16 of the pan assembly are secured at the free end of swing arms 21 pivotally mounted on the stands 18 and 19, and the pan 17 is secured at the the free ends of pan arms 20, also pivotally mounted on the stands 18 and 19.

Actual vertical support for carrying the weight of the coating roll 11, and of the end walls 15 and 16 is ob tained from the assembly of the pan 17 and the pan arms 20. The pan 17 includes a reinforcing end band 24 suitably attached to a sealing band 25 which is shown as being part of the swing arm 20. The end band 24 is suitably secured to the arcuate sheet metal pan 17 such as by welding, and is secured to the sealing band 25 by bolts. The lower arcuate edge 26 of the end wall 16 and the inner edge 27 of the sealing band 25 coact to prevent leakage of the coating from the pan, and for this purpose are finished with a machined fit. The weight of the end wall 16 rests against the inner surface 27 of the sealing band 25, and supports the coating roll 11.

To support the coating roll, the roll is journalled in bearings 22 on its shaft 22a which passes through seals 22b in the end wall 16. The bearing 22 is securely mounted at the top of the swing arm 21 and the weight of the coating roll is thus transferred to the end wall 16.

The upper position of the coating roll bearings 22 as they are urged upwardly is limited by a nip pressure controlling stop bolt 23 mounted on the frame 14. This bolt is adjustable so as to control the pressure of the nip as the bearing 22 is held upwardly against the stop bolt 23.

The assembly is supported and operated by a power means consisting of a cylinder 23 with a piston slidable therein connected to a piston rod 29 which is pivotally connected to the pan arm 24 The lower end of the cylinder is pivotally supported on a pad 30, and admission of pressurized fluid such as air into the lower end of the cylinder will urge the pan arm 26 upwardly thereby lifting upwardly on the end wall 16 and the swing arm 21 and bearing 22.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the pivotal support arrangements for the swing arm 20 which has a bearing ring 32 pivotally mounted on the journal 31 at the top of the stand 13. The swing arm 21 also has a bearing ring 33 mounted on the journal 31.

The journal is hollow and extending through the center thereof is a pipe 34 for conducting coating to the pan. The pipe leads to a T 35 which is pivotally mounted on the hollow shaft 36 forming a continuation of the pipe 34, and supports a supply pipe 37 leading down to the pan. The pipe 37 can pivot downwardly as the pan drops downwardly.

In operation, the travelling web supported on the backup roll receives a layer of coating as it passes through the nip N in FIGURE 1. The end of the coating operation such as with breakage of the web W, pressure is relieved from the cylinder 28 and the roll 11 and pan assembly 12 drop downwardly. The end walls and 16 and the roll are free to drop only a limited distance and stop at a rest position R. This is due to a stop bolt 38 on the swing arm 21 hitting a stop bracket 37 on the stand 18, FIGURE 1.

When the swing arms are stopped, the pan 17 and pan arms are free to continue dropping down to the drain position D, FIGURE 2. At this point the piston rod 29 is fully telescoped into the cylinder 28.

As will be noted, the interior of the pan is freely accessible for draining and for flushing with water, and the end walls 15 and 16 and the coating roll 11 are accessible from their inner surfaces and lower surface. Also, the coating roll is free and clear of the backup roll so that a fresh web may be threaded through the machine.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an improved coating mechanism which meets the objectives and advantages above set forth, and which is rugged in construction and reliable in operation for a continuous high speed operation without attention. A single power means is used for both controlling the position of the various parts and for holding the nip-pressure of the coating roll. At the termination of a coating operation the coating will not be allowed to stand in the pan but will be immediately drained so that fresh coating can be supplied at the resumption of a coating operation.

The drawings and specification present a detailed disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the invention, and it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific forms disclosed, but covers all modifications, changes and alternative constructions and methods falling Within the scope of the principles taught by the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A coating mechanism for a paper machine comprising a backup roll for supporting a travelling paper web, a coating roll parallel to the backup roll and defining therewith a coating nip, a coating pan beneath the coating roll having end walls and a one-piece member forming a bottom and side walls, a pair of pivotal arms for supporting said member in coacting relationship with the ends walls to contain a pool of coating for application by the coating roll, bearings on the end walls supporting said coating roll, and a fluid pressurized operator connected to said arms for moving the coating roll and pan between an operating position wherein the coating roll is in close running relationship to the web and the one-piece member is against the end walls, a rest position wherein the coating roll is away from the web, and a drain position wherein the one-piece member is separated from said end walls, said member and end walls separating at a lowermost point of the pan at said drain position for a complete draining of the pan.

2. A coating mechanism for a paper machine comprising a backup roll for supporting a travelling paper web, a coating roll parallel to the backup roll and defining therewith a coating nip, a coating pan assembly including end plates for providing the ends of the pan assembly and an arcuate upwardly facing pan, pivotally mounted first arms secured to the end plates, pivotally mounted second arms secured to the pan, stand means pivotally supporting said arms, an end seal between the pan and the end plates, power means connected to said second arms for carrying the pan upwardly to engage the end plates and carrying the end plates upwardly, a stop on said stand means limiting downward movement of the first arms so that the second arms may continue moving downwardly for separation of the pan from the end plates for drainage and cleaning of the pan, bearings for the coating roll mounted on the end plates, a frame, bearings for the backup roll mounted on the frame, and adjustable stops on the frame engageable by the coating roll bearings limiting the upward movement of the coating roll to determine the nip pressure between the coating roll and the backup roll.

3. In a coating mechanism for a paper machine including a backup roll for supporting a travelling paper web, a coating roll defining a coating nip with the backup roll, and a coating pan assembly, the pan assembly comprising a pair of end walls, an arcuate pan member having arcuate end sealing surfaces for engaging the end walls and coacting therewith to form a pan for a pool of coating to be applied to the web by the roll, bearings for the coating roll carried by said end walls, and means moving said coating roll and pan member between a coating position wherein the roll is in close running relation to the web and a rest position wherein the roll is separated from the web and for moving said arcuate pan member to a drain position where the pan is drained of coating, said sealing surfaces being at the lowermost point of the pan member at said rest and drain positions so that all of the coating will drain from the pan when said sections are separated and the pan members in the drain position and the end walls are in the rest position.

4. In a coating mechanism for a paper machine including a backup roll for supporting a travelling paper web, a coating roll parallel to the backup roll and defining therewith a coating nip, and a coating pan assembly, the pan assembly comprising first and second sections coacting to form a pan for coating, hearings on the first section for rotatably supporting the roll, means for moving said sections between a coating position wherein the coating roll is in close running relation to the web, a rest position wherein the coating roll is separated from the web, and a drain position wherein said sections are separated, and a seal between said sections located at the very bottom of the pan assembly at said rest and drain positions so that all of the coating will be drained from said second section at said drain position.

5. A coating mechanism for a paper machine comprising a backup roll for supporting a travelling paper web, a coating roll parallel to the backup roll and defining therewith a coating nip, a coating pan beneath the coating roll having end walls and a one-piece member forming a bottom and side walls, means for supporting said member in coating relationship with the end walls to contain a pool of coating for application by the coating roll to the paper web, operating means connected to said member and moving the member between a coating position wherein the coating roll is in close running relation with the web, a rest position wherein the coating roll is separated from the web, and a drain position wherein said member and said end Walls are separated for draining said member, a seal between said member and said end walls being at the very bottom of the pan assembly at said rest and drain positions so that the pan will drain when the member is at said drain position, and means limiting movement of the end walls in said rest position so that the member may be moved to drain position.

6. In a coating mechanism for a paper machine including a backup roll for a travelling paper web, a coating roll, and a coating pan assembly, the pan assembly comprising first and second sections coacting to form a pan for coating applied to the surface of the web by the coating roll, bearings for supporting the coating roll mounted on the first section, power means connected to said second section for moving the pan sections between a coating position with the roll in close running relation to the web, a rest position with the coating roll away from the Web, and a drain position with said sections separated, and stop means engaging the first section at said rest position so that the second section may be moved to drain position and said sections will separate for draining the coating.

7. In a coating mechanism for a paper machine including a backup roll, a coating roll, and a coating pan assembly, the pan assembly comprising first and second sections coacting to form a pan for coating applied to the surface of the web by the coating roll, a support for said second section accommodating movement from a coating position to a drain position, said second section supporting said first section, and a stop limiting travel of said first section so that the second section will separate from the first in moving to drain position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 678,913 Stephenson July 23, 1901 1,451,726 Zuckerman Apr. 17, 1923 1,783,587 Sawyer Dec. 2, 1930 2,106,104 Massey et a1 Jan. 18, 1938 2,406,056 Barrett Aug. 20, 1946 2,887,049 Mueller May 19, 1959 2,920,558 Hewlett Jan. 12, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 765,383 Great Britain Jan. 9, 1957 

1. A COATING MECHANISM FOR A PAPER MACHINE COMPRISING A BACKUP ROLL FOR SUPPORTING A TRAVELLING PAPER WEB, A COATING ROLL PARALLEL TO THE BACKUP ROLL AND DEFINING THEREWITH A COATING NIP, A COATING PAN BENEATH THE COATING ROLL HAVING END WALLS AND A ONE-PIECE MEMBER FORMING A BOTTOM AND SIDE WALLS, A PAIR OF PIVOTAL ARMS FOR SUPPORTING SAID MEMBER IN COACTING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ENDS WALLS TO CONTAIN A POOL OF COATING FOR APPLICATION BY THE COATING ROLL, BEARINGS ON THE END WALLS SUPPORTING SAID COATING ROLL, AND A FLUID PRESSURIZED OPERATOR CONNECTED TO SAID ARMS FOR MOVING THE COATING ROLL AND PAN BETWEEN AN OPERATING POSITION WHEREIN THE COATING ROLL IS IN CLOSE RUNNING RELATIONSHIP TO THE WEB AND THE ONE-PIECE MEMBER IS AGAINST THE END WALLS, A REST POSITION WHEREIN THE COATING ROLL IS AWAY FROM THE WEB, AND A DRAIN POSITION WHEREIN THE ONE-PIECE MEMBER IS SEPARATED FROM SAID END WALLS, SAID MEMBER AND END WALLS SEPARATING AT A LOWERMOST POINT OF THE PAN AT SAID DRAIN POSITION FOR A COMPLETE DRAINING OF THE PAN. 